Residents are returning to Khartoum State at an accelerating pace after security improved in parts of the capital and the Sudanese army regained control of it. But shortages of services, high prices, the fuel crisis and war remnants continue to present returnees with daily challenges.
Statistics from the International Organisation for Migration show that about 2.27 million people had returned to the state by the end of June 2026, including about 243,000 people who came from outside Sudan, while most of the remainder returned from areas of internal displacement. Among the returnees is the family of Fatah al-Rahman Mohamed al-Jaali, which returned to its home in Omdurman, one of the cities of Khartoum State, after more than three years of refuge in Egypt.
Al-Jaali says his family found the home on its return to be «just walls», noting that its situation resembled what many others had faced, though he considers it less severe than the circumstances of people who found only the ruins of their homes. A year after returning, al-Jaali believes Khartoum still requires extensive remedial action amid high prices and weak basic services, including electricity, water, healthcare and education.
He explains that power cuts can last more than 10 hours, to the point that electricity has, in his words, turned from an essential service into a form of luxury. Al-Jaali, a father of four, adds that he would have sent his children somewhere else outside Sudan if he could, because of deteriorating services and difficult living conditions.
Families weigh returning against the cost of living abroad
His experience reflects the choice facing families between returning to their homes and enduring conditions in the capital, or remaining outside the country while shouldering rising financial burdens. Mohamed Salah, a food trader, sent his family to one of the countries, but is now considering bringing them back to Khartoum because of the decline in the value of the Sudanese pound and the rising cost of supporting them abroad.
Salah believes the situation in the capital is better than in Sudan’s other states, despite continuing living challenges and weak basic services. Across the country, about 5.15 million people had returned to their areas by 26 August 2026, according to an International Organisation for Migration report.
These returnees were spread across 77 localities in nine states, reflecting the widening movement back to areas that residents had left during the war. Following improved security in parts of Khartoum, government and sovereign institutions, private companies and a number of investors returned.
Fuel shortages hamper the resumption of daily life
However, the resumption of work in some sectors has not ended the problems facing residents, as obtaining basic services and necessities still requires considerable time and effort. Dozens of vehicles have queued outside some petrol stations in the capital, while others have closed because fuel is unavailable.
Mohamed al-Rayeh, a resident who was waiting in one of the queues, says the fuel crisis has become one of the main problems facing residents and that waiting for his turn to obtain fuel can take nearly an entire day.
Recovery plans link services to encouraging returns
Fida al-Desouqi, director of planning and construction projects at the Sudanese Urban Development Organisation, says Khartoum’s recovery requires addressing damage to infrastructure and services, as well as adopting indicators to measure completed repairs and determine whether they are sufficient to accommodate returnees. Al-Desouqi stresses that providing water, electricity, healthcare, sanitation, security and food is a key priority for encouraging voluntary returns.
She also stresses the need to involve citizens in reconstruction efforts through a clear emergency plan that sets priorities and timetables, in addition to strengthening co-operation and transparency between the Khartoum administration and professional and voluntary groups.
Al-Desouqi warns that some educational institutions have resumed activities despite lacking basic services and without confirming that they are free of war remnants. She also points to damage caused by fires and the possibility of some buildings collapsing, factors that, in her assessment, raise concerns about the safety of resuming classes at those facilities.
War remnants threaten the safety of facilities and returnees
Mohamed confirms that search teams are continuing their work, warning that mines and unexploded munitions may still be present in areas whose residents have not yet returned, as well as inside the buildings of companies that have not resumed their activities. These risks are among the factors linked to the safe return of residents and the reopening of public and private facilities.
On electricity, former Sudanese Electricity Company engineer Omar Abdullah says the rapid return of residents requires services to be developed in line with increased demand. He explains that restoring power to areas affected during the war requires extending the grid, a measure that could affect the stability of electricity supplies in some other areas.
Khartoum Governor Ahmed Osman Hamza said, during the launch of the state’s digital system, that a large proportion of basic services had been restored, but had not yet reached a level that satisfied the government and citizens. He said water supplies had begun reaching most areas, despite continuing interruptions.
Hamza added that the greatest challenge was not limited to restoring services, but also included ensuring that they reached citizens and enabling them to benefit from them directly. He also said reconstruction was a complex process requiring developments linked to digital security to be taken into account. In contrast, Tayeb Saad al-Din, director-general of the Khartoum State Ministry of Culture and Information, denied any shortcomings in efforts to rebuild and restore the capital.
He said the state government had worked to improve living conditions by reopening markets damaged during the war. Saad al-Din explained that the state government had given particular attention to the electricity and water sectors, considering them among the main foundations of daily life.
He added that the authorities had operated free journeys to help citizens return to their homes, as the return movement continued alongside efforts to restore services and address the effects of the war.
